The Coriolis Effect
by THIboxNK
Summary: Naruto was always one of the most important influences in his life, even when Sasuke was trying to kill him. SasuNaru. One shot.


Disclaimer: My name is not Kishimoto Masashi; I am not Japanese and I am not male. That should tell you something about my not owning Naruto…

A/N: This takes place after Sasuke and Naruto's fight at the Valley of the End. I'm pretty sure it's been done before, but I needed to write my own version of what happened it that little area of blankness they had when they focused on Kakashi. There is some slight SasuNaru in this fic, along with some blood. That's about all there is for warning. I hope you enjoy my fanfic. Read and review!

**The Coriolis Effect**

Coughing up blood was rather unpleasant, Sasuke observed distantly, his body still shuddering in pain as the red liquid made a burning path up his throat and spewed from his mouth. Shallow wounds covered his body at random, with deeper gashes making themselves known here and there; Sasuke found himself believing he would most likely still be feeling the effects of this battle in distant weeks to come.

It was a few long moments before he managed to still his convulsing form. Blood still dribbling from the corner of his mouth, Sasuke watched as the crimson fluid dripped to the ground, morbidly fascinated as the soil beneath absorbed it, tinting its color to a dark mahogany, only to then be washed away by the steady beet of the rain that had begun to fall.

Sasuke's gaze drifted up to the sky, watching as the moisture condensed and fell to Earth while ignoring the small acidic sting left as the droplets hit his eyes. He couldn't help but feel grateful to the clouds for blocking out the sun, as it brightness would've been utterly inappropriate for a time such as this.

After all, when one voluntarily wanders into the pits of hell, one does not expect sunshine and dancing daisies.

So what had Naruto expected when he had offered Sasuke his hand, reaching down into the inferno and trying to pull him out? He spoke to Sasuke of companionship and teamwork, of help, hope and trust and all sorts of things Sasuke had given up on years ago, and then when Sasuke finally did grab his offered hand, he pulled Naruto down with him and fought against him on the battlefield of devils and angels to prove to the boy his wrongness.

And he was victorious. As he kneeled before his fallen opponent, that much was evident. If he so chose, he could end the blond's life without effort, and finally gain power as his brother had instructed him to do years ago.

Yet he could not. Even as a kunai laid waiting in his pouch, calling out to him to take blood, he was unable to slice Naruto's throat and claim the mangekyou sharingan for his own.

Itachi would be so disappointed.

Sasuke's eyes once again came to rest on the prone boy before him. His obnoxious orange jumpsuit was tattered and dirty, his blond hair hung limply around his face, and, despite his eyes being closed, Sasuke could imagine that they, too, would be duller than before. Weakly, Sasuke shifted so that his face hovered directly over the other's, his bangs falling over his eyes as water dripped down the raven locks.

Every bit of suffering written on the boy's scratched and bruised face had been caused by him. All the pain Naruto would endure was his fault. The loss of his hopeful naivety and boundless optimism… would he be to blame for that too?

Before he even had time to think over his actions, Sasuke had brought his lips down to brush against Naruto's. It only lasted for a second before he drew back. Naruto's lips had been cold. He shivered for a moment, but whether it was from the residual pain of his wounds or something else, Sasuke didn't care to know. As the rain continued to beat down upon them, he didn't even notice when a tear leaked from his eye, landing softly on the boy's hitai-ate.

This boy had made him, if for only a moment, rethink his dreams. That had unsettled him, and in the end had been what pushed him to reach out to Orochimaru. He knew that if he stayed around Naruto for too much longer, he may have given up his goal altogether, instead opting for a pleasantly lethargic life in the service of Konoha, never progressing and never matching up to his brother.

Forcing down the shaking of his body, Sasuke stood up again. He shot one last glance at his cracked forehead protector before turning towards the woods. He would become a missing-nin, a traitor, and would never return to Konoha. As he limped away from the battered battlefield, he resigned himself to his fate. He knew his destiny: he would kill his brother, and then be taken over by the snake. And after, when he finally saw Naruto again…

He hoped the boy would be able to kill him.

**end**

_(The Coriolis Effect- the effect the Earth's rotation on its axis has on wind direction. I relate this to the effect Naruto has on the direction of Sasuke's life; changing it to different shapes because of his great influence.)_


End file.
